NAIROBI, Kenya, November 26 – With hours to the GOtv Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup, Harambee Stars head coach Adel Arouche, is targeting a win in their first match against the Walia Antelopes of Ethiopia.
Amrouche who will name his final squad of 20 on Wednesday, have a difficult task to select the first team since all the players are fit for the regional showpiece.
“The preparations are good and we are always positive since we are playing at home, we don’t want to put pressure on the players who are in the good mood.
“We lost two players due to injury including Paul Were who was the right player for Cecafa because he finished the Kenyan Premier League on a high, but we had to drop him and replace with Azam midfielder Humphrey Mieno who also can’t play because he said he has injury.
“But I have no problem since this tournament is for the local based who need to prove themselves,” the coach who will be guiding Stars in the competition for the first time said after conducting their training at Moi Sports Complex.
“I respect all the teams that are participating in the tournament including Somalia and we are approaching one match at a time because we need victory for our people,” he continued.
Amrouche said his main objective is to use the competition to prepare the team for 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. “Kenya need this team to play in Africa Home Nations Cup and the players should prove themselves to earn a call up and join professional players ahead of the next qualifiers,” he concluded.
All teams are in the country with Zanzibar and Ethiopia arriving later Tuesday. Zanzibar faces South Sudan in the opener before Stars take on the Antelopes in Group A, at Nyayo National Stadium.
Group B will see Tanzania square it out against guest team Zambia, Burundi and Somalia as defending champions Uganda Cranes will lock horns with Rwanda, Sudan and Eritrea in Group C.
Tickets will be sold at Sh200 (USD 2.30) for terraces while VIP will retail at Sh500 (USD 5.75). The competition will run till December 12.